Red Cross finds 115 bodies in CAR diamond-mining town

Red Cross workers have found 115 bodies in Central African Republic’s diamond-mining town of Bangassou after several days of militia attacks, the president of the aid group’s local branch said on Wednesday.

The battle for control of the town marks a new escalation in a conflict that began in 2013 when mainly Muslim Seleka fighters ousted then-President Francois Bozize, prompting reprisal killings from Christian militias.

Aid workers say recent clashes have centered on diamond-rich central and southern areas of the country, with rival militias battling among themselves to control them.

Antoine Mbao Bogo told Reuters by phone: “We found 115 bodies and 34 have been buried.

“They died in various ways: from knives, from clubs and bullet wounds.”